The New Fighter
by brinicolee1
Summary: Nitana, an ordinary girl, gets kidnapped and put into a world she never thought existed. Now faced with a choice, she can fight, or let her world be ripped apart. Dealing with love and danger, can she survive what is going to happen? Nitana: owned by me All other Mortal Kombat characters belong to NetherRealm Studios
1. Chapter 1 (07-28 11:51:10)

"I'll see you tomorrow sometime, okay?" I asked my best friend, Tori. "Okay, whatever Nitana. Are you sure you don't want me to drive you home? It's after midnight and I don't want you to get kidnapped." I just smiled and said no thanks and walked out the door.

At midnight in the late fall, the temperature in Tennessee had to be at least forty degrees or lower. I put up the hoodie on my jacket and hugged myself to try and warm up. I was only ten minutes away from my house when I started to hear footsteps behind me. They were distant so I didn't think anything of it. "Tori, I told you, I didn't need you to watch me. I think I'm old enough to walk home by myself." Whoever was behind me didn't answer and started to pick up the pace.

Before I knew it, my legs had already started to run from the noise behind me. Up ahead, I saw an alley and ducked into it. Holding my breath, I thought I heard the footsteps pass. Stepping out, I looked left first and felt something hit me on the head. I saw darkness start to surround me and I completely blacked out.

I was awoken by someone carrying me. When I came to my senses and started remembering what happened the night before, I clutched the neck I was holding. "Don't worry," the voice said, "I'm one of the good guys."

"Where am I?" I asked. I looked at who was carrying me. He had a scar over his right eye, reaching from his cheek bone to his eyebrow. "In Earthrealm. When I get us where we need to be, there will be a man who will tell you everything." He stood me up on my feet, keeping an arm around my waist. "How do we get there?" I asked. He grabbed my hand and I felt cold a wind around me, then darkness.


	2. Chapter 2

I awoke in a bed with black silk sheets. I tried to sit up, but a voice told me not to. "If you do that, it will not be pleasant." I listened to whoever it was and laid back down. "Why am I here?" I asked. "You are here because you have a special power." I frowned. "And that is?" "You can wield any power that is taught to you. You were kidnapped by the sorcerer Quan Chi. You were going to be used in the Emperor Shao Kahn's plan to rule all the realms." This confused me even more. "Get some rest. I will be back in a few days to start you with your training." He got up and walked out. I felt my eyes start to close from the headache I had and let myself fall asleep.

I felt a hand on my forehead. I opened my eyes to see the same face who carried me a couple of days before. "Morning Sleeping Beauty." He winked. I tried my hardest not to grin like an idiot, but failed. Another man spoke. "Good. Since the clothes you were in before were wet and dirty, we went to your home and took all of your clothes. Get up and get dressed, you have ten minutes." "Can I at least take a shower?" I asked, sitting up. The man talking pointed to a door a few feet away from the bed. "Ten minutes." And he walked out. The man with him held out his hand and helped me out of the bed. "Sub-Zero," he said and held out his hand. I took it. "Nitana." "Pretty name. You might want to hurry up. Trust me, you don't want to keep Raiden waiting." He turned and walked out as well.

I hurried to the duffel bag on the end of the bed and pulled out a pair of black shorts and a tank top. I ran to the bathroom and turned on the water. I quickly got in and washed my hair, along with my body and jumped out. I dried off and went to my bag looking for my hairbrush. "He grabbed everything in my house but didn't bother to grab my brush." "I don't think that was going through his head at the time." I yelped and turned to the doorway. Sub-Zero was leaning against the frame, smirking. "It ain't funny." I yelled and went to hit his arm. "Nice accent." I smiled. "Thanks. When you live in Tennessee, you kind of pick it up." He motioned for me to follow him downstairs. "If we keep Raiden waiting, we won't hear the end of it."

Downstairs, I saw the man Sub-Zero called Raiden and a woman I didn't know were standing in the doorway. "Good morning, Nitana." I nodded at Raiden. "This is Li Mei, and she will be training you." She smiled and jumped into my arms. "I'm so happy to train you! I've heard so much about you, and I know that we are going to be the best of friends." She let me go and took a step back. "I look forward to it," I replied. Raiden motioned for all of us to follow him out the front door.

We walked for about five minutes, until I saw a two story house a few feet away. Walking up the steps, we stepped into the wide double doors and I saw a bunch of people fighting and kicking. Some people were kicking punching bags, and some were sparring. I didn't see any familiar faces, until my eyes made it to the left side of the room. Johnny Cage. Big time movie actor. He was standing next to a tall, blonde woman, who looked like she could care less about what he was doing. Even though I don't know him personally, I did know what he was doing. As I continued to follow Raiden, Johnny laid eyes on me and smiled. He ran over to me and said, "Hello gorgeous, Johnny Cage. And you are?" I held up my hand. "Not interested." I left him standing in the middle of the room with his jaw dropped. "That is the second person who has turned me down today. Get on your game, Cage." I laughed and continued to follow.


	3. Chapter 3

Raiden led us to a small corner in the room and said, "Li Mei, teach Nitana basic punches and kicks. When she is ready, teach her advanced combinations." With that, he turned and left. Sub-Zero bent down and whispered, "Good luck." He spun on his heels and followed Raiden.

"So, what you want to do is hold your left hand up, and punch outward." I did what Li Mei told me to. She nodded. "Now, punch with your left, then switch to your right hand." I followed her instructions. She taught me a few more moves, and then said that she was going to teach me how to kick with the punches. I did everything I was supposed to, and was allowed to take a break. I sat down on the cold wooden floor, and closed my eyes.

"What's the matter baby? They workin' you too hard?" I rolled my eyes and stood up. I got in Johnny's face and said, " For one, I am not your baby, and two, its none of your damn business what I'm doing." About that time, Li Mei came back and ordered Johnny to leave. She told me that I could go home and asked if I needed her to walk me there. I nodded and followed her through the same double doors that we first entered the temple in.

When we finally made it back to the house, I thanked her and shut the door when she left. I explored the rooms in the house, first looking at the living room, then to the kitchen. There was a fridge, island in the middle, and a small pantry in the right corner of the room. On the left side of the room, next to the fridge, a door led to the backyard. I stepped outside and seen a good couple of acres behind it. I said out loud to myself, "This would be a good place to hunt." "Yeah, if you're into that kind of stuff." I knew that voice, but couldn't put the person with it. Then it hit me. Johnny Cage. I sighed and turned around. "What are you doing here?" I asked him. "I live here." He stepped closer. "Now, what do you say I take you out to dinner? And maybe afterwards, we can have a little fun." He winked. I snorted and rolled my eyes. "Just because most girls that meets you falls in love with you doesn't mean everyone will be like that." I pushed passed him and back into the house. "C'mon baby, just give me a chance. You won't regret it." I turned and punched him square in the jaw. "I am NOT going out with you, and I'm sure as hell not your baby." He stumbled back and put a hand on his jaw. I could tell he winced at the pain.

I walked into the house, up the stairs, and into my room. Out of all the people in the world, I get stuck with him? My week couldn't get any worse. After a while I felt sorry for what I did, I stepped out of my room and looked down the staircase, and seen Johnny standing at the base. I walked halfway down, and he walked halfway up. "Look, Cage -" "Johnny," he interrupted and smiled. I sighed. "Johnny, I didn't mean to hit you. It's just that I've been under a lot of pressure lately." He smirked. "Don't worry about it. It's my fault anyway. I shouldn't have said what I did. Do you forgive me?" He held out his hand. I shook it. Not thinking, I put my hands on his neck. I bent down from the step I was on and kissed him. When I touched the right side of his cheek, he flinched. I pulled back and asked if he was okay. He nodded, and I continued to kiss him. He picked me up by my waist and carried me to my room, not breaking the kiss. In my room, he set me down on the bed and pulled away from me. The grin that he used on every girl finally worked on me. Letting my mind slip, I didn't think of what might happen tomorrow.


	4. Chapter 4

I could hear slight whispers down towards my feet. I opened my eyes to see Johnny asleep next to me. I started to remember what happened the night before. He had apologized, then I kissed him. I automatically regretted what I did. What would people think of me now? Was I just one of his one night stands? There were so many questions in my head, it was starting to give me a headache. I looked to the end of my bed and seen Sub-Zero and Raiden standing there. I propped myself on my elbows and whispered, "What are you two doing here?" "You did not show up for training. I was making sure you weren't killed." I raised an eyebrow. "Okay, I'm not dead, so get out." I pointed to the door. They both walked out.

When I heard the front door shut, I shook Johnny to wake him up. "Cage," I whispered. He slowly opened his eyes. They locked with mine, and he smirked. "Good morning, beautiful." He tried to kiss me, pushed him back. "What did I do?" I almost stood up and realized that I was only in my bra and underwear. I sat up and put my face in my hands. "If you want to know the truth, it wasn't that bad." I stared at him. "Why?" I asked. "What do you mean why?" I could hear the confusion in his voice. "I'm sorry, I didn't-" "No," he interrupted. "I know exactly what you meant." He stood from the bed, and walked out. When the door slammed behind him, I slipped on a pair of pants and a shirt and followed him. His door was slightly open, so I knew he was in there. I slowly walked in and seen him sitting on the edge of his bed. "Johnny, what I meant was that I don't even know you and I'm already sleeping with you. I'm not like that." He looked at me and smiled. "That's okay. I knew it would work." Just like I did the night before, I punched him. "So you're telling me this was just a joke?! One of your mind games?!" I groaned and stomped out.

Running down the stairs, I walked through the kitchen and out the back door. I stopped and ran my hands through my hair. I should have known. He was a self centered actor, and could get his way worn anyone. And I fell right in his trap. How could have been so stupid? There was a hand on my shoulder. I shook it off. I turned to see who it was. Thank God it wasn't Johnny. "Raiden, what are you doing here?" "From what I just heard, you and Johnny don't want to be in the same room, and I have a solution. Johnny will be moved to a different house. You will have a new roommate by tonight." With that he turned and left. I sighed with relief. Hopefully it wasn't another man. I stepped back into the house and took a deep breath.

Upstairs, I could faintly hear muffling. I slowly tried walking up the stairs, but they were too loud. The mumbling quit. I hurried the rest of the way up, and darted into my room. Standing very close to the door, I continued to listen to the conversation. "She slept with me. That was her fault. If she was in her right mind, she wouldn't have done it. I got what I wanted, and that's that." That was Johnny's voice. "You should have controlled yourself. She was not to be messed with. She is our greatest hope, and she does not need this on her mind. I'm moving you not because you are a threat, but because you have a greater fighting potential than I thought. You will be trained harder, and with a higher skilled fighter." Johnny scoffed. The voices were gone, so I backed away from the door and sat on my bed. This was going to be a long day.


	5. Chapter 5

Later that night, I sat on the couch with the TV off, waiting for my new "roommate." I waited and slowly started to doze off. About ten minutes of sitting in complete silence, there was a knock on the front door. I slowly stood up and walked to it. When opened, I saw Raiden and a man. This man was about six feet tall, wearing a blue T-shirt and black pants. "As I promised, I have your new roommate. This is Stryker, a former S.W.A.T member and New York City police officer. I hope you get along," he hesitated, "Better than how you did with Johnny." He left me and Stryker at the door.

Stryker held out his hand. I took it. I motioned for him to come inside. He set the only bag he had on the floor next to the door. "It's really cold outside tonight. Usually it's nice out at night." He nervously laughed. "Never really paid attention," I responded. "So your a cop?" I asked. He nodded. "Well, used to be. That is until I got dragged into this mess." We both didn't say anything for a couple of minutes. "I'm sure you want to sleep somewhere tonight, so I'll show you your new bedroom."

I had him follow me upstairs, and down the hall to Johnny's room. Stryker walked in, and over to the bed. He started pulling off the sheets. "What are you doing?" I asked. "I'm not sleeping in the same bed Johnny Cage did. Lord knows what he did in it." I giggled. "Okay then. Well, I'll be nice and let you sleep in my bed and I'll sleep on the couch." "No it's okay. I'll still sleep on the bed, just not the same sheets." We both stayed silent until I said, "Well I guess I'll be going to bed. I have to be up early in the morning. If you need anything, I'm across the hall." I turned and walked to my room. I heard Stryker call my name. "Yeah," I yelled. "Nice accent." I smiled and continued into my room. I changed into my pajamas and crawled into bed. I could hear Stryker shufflingacross the hall. I slowly let myself fall into a deep sleep.

"Nitana," someone was yelling behind my door. Opening my eyes, I seen the sun shining into my room. I pulled the covers off my body and walked to the door. I slowly opened it to see Stryker standing there in just his boxers. "I didn't mean to wake you up this early but do you have an extra towel I could use?" "Sure." I walked to the bathroom, rubbing my eyes, and grabbed a towel from the cabinet. Turning around, I saw Stryker at the doorway. I handed it to him and he mumbled a thank you. "Nice shorts." I quickly looked down. "Thanks," I said and pushed passed him.

I walked to the dresser and pulled out a pair of shorts and slipped them on. "You didn't have to do that." I shook my head. "I have to get dressed anyway, so it doesn't bother me." "Do you have to train today?" He asked me. I nodded. He smiled at me and walked out, quietly closing the door behind him. Finishing up, I walked out of my room and across the hall to Stryker's door. It was closed, so I lifted my arm to knock on the door. He opened it, still in his towel. "Can I come in?" He stepped aside. I stepped in and looked to the bed. "I see you washed the sheets." I giggled. "Yeah, they needed it." I sat down on it and looked up at him. "Let me get dressed, then we'll talk."

I sat in silence, waiting for him to return. "So what do you need?" "Do you train today?" I asked. He nodded. "Well, can you walk with me? I don't like walking alone after what happened." I stood up. "After what? You sleeping with Johnny or you being kidnapped?" I glared at him. "I'm kidding." He held out his arm and I put my hand on his bicep. He was very muscular. We walked down the stairs and out the front door to the temple.


	6. Chapter 6

Walking closer, I could tell we were early because the only people there were Raiden, Li Mei, and another guy I did not know. "Good morning," Li Mei said when we reached the top. I smiled and stepped into the temple. Li Mei pulled me to the side and asked, "New boyfriend?" I groaned. "He is not my boyfriend, and I haven't had a boyfriend for about four years." I glared at her. "How did you know?" She started to laughed. "About Johnny? Word gets around."

She grabbed my wrist and pulled me to a back door. "Today I'm going to be teaching you my fighting style, called Liu He Ba Fa. It's simple, so that's why Raiden picked me first to train you." She put her left arm into the air above her head and the other arm facing the ground. I copied her stance. I felt weird standing like this. "Now, you want to take your right hand and lift it, then push it forward. She showed me and I mirrored. "Now turn and kick one of your legs out." This was easy to do. She taught me a few more moves and I learned them quickly. "Take a break, I'll be right back." She walked into the temple and I sat on the soft grass.

She returned with two water bottles and Raiden by her side. "I sure hope Li Mei has not been working you too hard." I shook my head and replied, "It's actually really easy. Not as hard as I thought it was." "Well, the next task I have for you will not be so easy. I need you to stand and follow me." I did as he said and followed him through the temple. I looked around, seeing more people showing up. My eyes met Stryker's and he gave a small wave. On the opposite side of the room, I found Johnny. He saw me and winked. I rolled my eyes. Raiden and I stepped out into the sunlight, and I felt dizzy. Raiden's hand caught my arm before I could fall. "Are you okay?" I nodded.

He led me to a small hut, and pushed me inside. "Taven here will teach you how to use your first power, which is fire." A man stepped out from around me, and headed to Raiden's side. "Be easy on her, she is our only option." Raiden walked out. "So you're the chosen one?" The man named Taven asked. "That's what I'm told," I replied. "You don't look like it." I shot him a dirty look. "Anyway, let's get started." He led me out of the door, and out back of the hut. "So what you want to do is imagine a fire ball in your hand. It's not hard." He took a few steps backwards and closed his eyes. I paid attention, watching a small ball of a bright red and orange come up out of his palm. I gasped in awe as a small grin formed at the corner of his mouth. "Now, you try." I did the same motions Taven did, closing my eyes, and picturing a small fire in my left hand. I felt my arm start to heat up, and I felt the heat travel to my palm. I opened my eyes, and seen a fire in my hand. I couldn't help but smile and laugh at the sight of it. I heard Taven say, " Now to make it disappear, just imagine it burning out. I did what he told me to and the fire disappeared. He clapped, and I bowed. "That was amazing, even for your first time. Now watch this."

He ran backwards, and jumped up and for a split second, I seen fire around his clenched fist, and slammed into the ground, and I felt the ground shake underneath my feet. I stumbled, but did not fall. He walked back to me, and said, "Do that." He ran back, and I jumped and fell back onto the ground, causing it to shake so bad, Taven fell. When he stood up and ran back into the hut, only to return a few minutes later with a punching bag on his shoulder. He set it a few feet in front of me. "I want you to set it on fire. Without closing my eyes this time, I imagined the ball in my hand and pushed my left hand up and forward, aiming it at the bag. The two collided, and the bag went up in flames. I looked at Taven with a huge grin. "I'm going to go get Raiden, stay right here." He disappeared in a cloud of fire.

For a few seconds, I thought about what he just did. Thinking I could do it, Itried it. I picked a spot behind the still burning bag and imagined that I was standing behind it. My whole body became heated and I felt my feet lift off the ground and move forward to the punching bag. Once I was behind it, my feet connected with the ground and my body return to it's normal temperature. I stepped out from the bag, to see Raiden and Taven standing there with their mouths hanging open.

"What?" I asked. "I've never seen someone learn that on their first try. That's amazing." Raiden said. I felt pretty good hearing that. "Well I do learn quickly." "No," he replied, "Nobody has ever done that. It took Taven years to master that trick. It will not take as long as I thought it would to train you. Go home, for tomorrow, I will train you." I looked at him one last time before walking home.


	7. Chapter 7

I stepped into the front door of the house I shared with Stryker, and saw that he was already home. "Hey," he said when he seen me." "Hey," I replied, and sat on the couch next to him. "Rough day?" I nodded. "What did you learn?" "Do you like asking questions?" I asked him. He laughed. "It's one of the many things I'm good at. So?" I remembered his question. "Oh, right. Well I learned some weird fighting stance, then learned how to control fire." His eyes widened. "Really?" I nodded. "Can you show me?" I tried it at least a hundred times on the walk home, and could now do it without putting a lot of thought into it. When he seen it in my palm, he gasped. "Wow," he said in awe. "Can you teach me how to do that?" "Probably not. And I wouldn't want to hurt you." He sighed and stood up.

I followed him to the kitchen, where he opened the fridge and pulled out two soda cans. He slid one to me. "Thanks." We were both silent for a few minutes. I walked over to him and jumped up to sit on the counter. "So what did you learn today?" I asked him. "Same thing I've been learning. How to punch and kick. It's kind of boring." I chuckled, "Yeah, sounds like fun." He looked me in the eyes and I seen how bright blue they were. They were so light, they almost looked clear. I put my hand on the back of his neck. I trailed my fingers to his cheek, down to his shoulder, and down to his arm, which was now on the counter next to my legs. He leaned down and kissed me. It was sweet at first, but he pulled away too quickly. "What?" I asked. "Should we be doing this?" He looked confused. "Probably not," I replied. He leaned down and kissed me again. This time, it was deeper. It felt good. I pushed him back and jumped down. I ran to the back door and pulled it open.

Outside, I looked for a hiding spot. Hearing footsteps behind me, I went around the right side of the house. I peeked around the corner, and saw Stryker creating circles, looking for me. I ran out and jumped onto his back. We both fell to the ground, in a fit of laughs. I rolled on my side and placed a hand on his chest. "I bet you can't catch me." He smirked. "We'll see about that." I jumped up and ran into the house. I ran behind the island in the middle of the kitchen, and waited for Stryker to appear in the doorway. Sure enough, he did. When he saw me, he sprinted towards me. I ran around the island a couple of times before bursting towards the stairs. I ran them two at a time, and ran into my room. I hid behind the door, hoping he wouldn't find me in here.

I heard footsteps on the stairs, and Stryker calling me. I steadied my breathing, and stayed quiet. "Where are you?" He yelled. I covered my mouth with my hand to keep myself from laughing. I heard the floor creak, and seen a shadow in the doorway. "Are you in here?" He asked. "Guess not." The shadow disappeared, and I sighed. Big mistake. He apparently heard me, and stepped back into my room. A hand reached behind the door, and I ducked at crawled out from behind it, and through Stryker's legs. But I wasn't fast enough. He grabbed my ankle, and pulled me out from in between his legs. He picked me up and threw me over his shoulder. He carried me to my bed, pulled the covers back, and set me down. "Get some sleep, you have a big day ahead of you." I giggled, and said, "But I'm not tired." I made a pout face. "Go to bed." He kissed my forehead and walked out. Even though I didn't want to, I let sleep take over me.


	8. Chapter 8

I could faintly hear rustling somewhere around me. Sitting up, I realized that someone was in our house. I slowly got up and tip toed across the hallway to Stryker's room and opened the door. He was laying on top of the covers, only wearing boxers. I stepped over to him and shook him awake. "Stryker, there's somebody in the house. I think somewhere downstairs." He slowly stood up and pulled out his night stick from a drawer in his nightstand. " Stay here," he ordered.

I could hear the concern in his voice, and watched his police instincts kick in. Not listening, I followed him downstairs and to the kitchen. Sure enough, there were three men standing there. I found Stryker and put each of my hands on his sides. "What are you doing here?" He yelled. One of the men looked up, and flicked a green ball towards us. We both ducked, my hands still on Stryker.

I thought of what I could do to shield us from whatever the men threw at us. Then it hit me. A shield. "Don't move," I told Stryker. "Here goes nothing," I whispered to myself, and imagined a fire shield around the two of us. The room got brighter, and I heard someone yell, "What the hell is that?!" And another person yell, "I don't know." I looked for the three men and created three fire balls in my hand, and flung one at each person. There were screams, then nothing but the sound of the shield crackling.

I dropped the shield and ran to one of the men. I grabbed what was left of his shirt and pulled his face close to mine. "Who sent you?" I asked. He tried to spit in my face, but failed. I shot fire out of my fingertips, and asked again. He cried out and said, "Shao Khan. He will come for you, and he will have you." I dropped my hand away from his shirt and grabbed his head in both of my hands. I twisted until I heard a crack. I stood, and ran to Stryker.

"Are you hurt?" I asked, feeling around on his torso. "I'm fine. Where did you learn to break his neck?" "I watch movies." He laughed and put an arm around my shoulders. "Come on, let's go back to bed." "Can I sleep with you?" I asked him. "I don't want to be alone knowing that someone might try and kill me. Again." "Sure," he replied. I followed him to his room, and crawled onto the right side of the bed. He laid back next to me, and slipped his arm around me. I put my head on his chest, and my left hand on his stomach. We stayed up and talked about anything and everything, but eventually I fell asleep for the second time that night.


	9. Chapter 9

"Nitana, wake up." I opened my eyes and saw Stryker standing over me. "C'mon, and get up, Raiden is downstairs." I stood out of his bed and followed him downstairs. I brushed passed him and sat down on the couch, and set my feet on his lap.

Raiden, Johnny, and Li Mei came around the corner of the couch. Johnny looked at me and winked, like he usually does, and I did what I usually do, and rolled my eyes. Li Mei ran over to me and asked about ten times if I was okay. I nodded and she sat on the couch next to me. "So, I can tell that someone tried to come and kill you. Did any of them say anything of importance?" I spoke up. "Yeah, I asked one of who sent them and he said, 'Shao Kahn. He will come for you, and he will have you." Stryker chuckled, "Yeah, then she snapped his neck," he said, smiling at me. I glanced at him before looking back to Raiden. "Well if that's the case, we have to move you somewhere else. Perhaps we have you stay at the temple for now. It is sacred, so nobody that is not from Earthrealm can enter it. Do you agree?" Before I could open my mouth, Stryker said, "Only if I go with her."

Johnny snickered, and mumbled, "You have to keep the love birds together." Stryker pushed my feet off his lap and got in Johnny's face. I winced in pain from how hard he pushed but I stood up anyway. I stepped in between them and punched both of them in the stomach. At the same time, they both bent over, coughing for air. "Will you two quit acting like idiots? I'm right here, stop acting like I'm not."

I stomped over back to the couch and flopped down. I pulled my feet and touched where Stryker pushed them. "That is gonna bruise." I leaned over and punched Stryker in the arm. He grabbed it and squealed, "What was that for?" "That," I pointed to my slightly purple ankle, "Is for doing this." I heard him mumble, a sorry, and sat back down next to me. "Well, if you would Nitana, Please grab all of your belongings and meet us at the temple." Him, Li Mei, and Johnny disappeared in lighting.

"That's cool," I said. Stryker turned to face me. "I didn't mean to push you that hard, but I just can't stand his attitude, and he's disrespectful." I sighed. "It's okay. Now come pack. We have to get going." I grabbed his hand and dragged him upstairs. In his room, I helped him pack up his clothes. My clothes were never unpacked, so all I had to do was change and we were ready to leave. I reached for his hand, and when I found it, our fingers interlocked. I kissed him one last time before I imagined us at the front doors of the temple and we were headed there.

The doors were already open when we got there. Stryker stumbled backwards as soon as his feet touched the oak wood. I helped him steady himself before we walked in. Raiden was standing on the left side of the room, in front of a flight of stairs. I haven't noticed they were there until now. "Follow me," was all he said. I ran to keep up while Stryker took his sweet time getting up to the top.

From what I could see, there were at least six doors, probably all bedrooms. Raiden pointed to the last door on the left, which was for me, and the last door on the right was for Stryker. We got into our rooms, and set our bags down. We walked hand in hand back down to where everyone was at. "You two are so cute together!" Li Mei exclaimed when she seen us. I blushed and looked away. "Yeah, but she was cuter with me." Johnny was really starting to annoy me. I felt Stryker's hand tighten, and I whispered, "Don't." He loosened up just a bit. "Nitana, are you okay to train?" Raiden asked me. I nodded. "This next power will require a lot of energy. Follow me."

Stryker kissed me before I walked outside with Raiden. "I'm going to teach you my power, which is lighting. I am the god of thunder, which is why I have this power. It is not hard, it's just like learning any other power, but with a lot of energy." He mumbled a few words and lighting shot from both of his hands, and he raised them to the sky, and shot lighting bolts into the sky. It also made thunder as well. I thought it was pretty cool. When he finished, he told me to try and do it.

I thought of lighting soaring through my veins and out of my palms. I looked down at my hands and seen flashes of silver and blue come out of them. I tried harder and finally, it stayed long enough for me to throw my hands up, and the lighting reaching the sky and making thunder clap. I heard clapping, and looked over and seen Li Mei cheering me on. Stryker was standing next to her, with a big grin on his face. "Practice with it a little bit more, I have to help set up a feast tonight. Whenever you are ready to come in, get dressed and be back down here before the feast starts. There are a few people I want you to meet." I nodded.

When Raiden walked inside, Stryker jogged over to me. "That was pretty amazing. I wish I could do that." "It's a pain to do though. I'm a little dizzy." He grabbed my hand. C'mon, let's get dressed up for this 'feast'." He air quoted the word feast. This made me laugh. We walked inside, up the stairs, and went our own ways.


	10. Chapter 10

I stood at the end of the bed looking at all of the clothes I threw around, still trying to decide what to wear. I had one dress, but it was my prom dress, and I didn't quite fit into it anymore. I walked across the hall and knocked on Stryker's door. He opened it in a pair of black jeans, and didn't have a shirt on. "I need your help," I told him. He walked behind me back to my room, and I told him why I needed him. The first thing he reached for was the dress. "Doesn't fit." I tried to explain. "Put it on," he demanded. I yanked it away and went to the bathroom to change into it.

When I put it on, I went to the mirror. It still fit, but now it barely went to my knees. Seeing myself in it, I started remembering what happened that night. I didn't go with anyone, but I stayed by Tori the whole night. I had left early, because I couldn't deal with the names I was being called. That night, I cried myself to sleep and even thought about taking my life. But if I did, I wouldn't have met Li Mei orStryker, and even Johnny Cage. I alsowouldn't have learned anything of what I can do now.

I walked out, and when Stryker saw me, he gasped and said, "You look beautiful." He stepped over to me, and put his hands around my waist. His lips met my forehead. "Now c'mon, I have to finish up." He grabbed my hand and pulled me to his room and he continued to change. He slipped on a white button down shirt, and put on a dress jacket. He held out his arm, and I slipped my hand on his bicep.

We walked halfway down the stairs, until I realized that I didn't put on any make up to cover up the marking on my face. I pulled on Stryker's arm. "I can't go down there. I didn't cover my markings." He chuckled. "You don't need to. Maybe someone here can explain to you what it is." I agreed and walked down the rest of the stairs. At the bottom, the first person I locked eyes with was Johnny. When he seen me, his eyes widened. He walked over to me and before he got close, Stryker stepped in front of me. "Don't," I heard him whisper.

I walked around him and hugged Johnny. "You look great," he said. "You don't clean up so bad yourself." I pulled away, but his arm stayed around my waist, and I kept my hand on his arm. He turned to Stryker and reached out his hand. When Stryker didn't take it, I grabbed his hand and made him shake it. Johnny smiled and walked away. I softly punched Stryker in the stomach. "If you don't be nice, I'm going to beat it out you." I scanned the room for either Raiden or Li Mei, and found Li Mei first. I drug Stryker over to her and tapped her on the shoulder. She turned and smiled. "You look absolutely stunning," she turned to Stryker, "And you clean up nicely. Let me introduce you to somebody." She pulled me next to her.

"Master Bo' Rai Cho, meet Nitana, the New Fighter." The man held out his hand. He smelled heavily of alcohol. I took it and smiled. "You look as good as Li Mei described you. It would be my pleasure to work with you." I laughed. "I might take you up on that." Stryker whispered in my ear, "There's someone I want you to meet." I smiled again. "It was nice meeting you." Bo' Rai Cho waved, and I let Stryker pull me through the crowd to a young looking man.

"Jax!" Stryker yelled at someone. A black man who looked to be in his thirties turned to look at Stryker. When we got closer, Stryker said, "Jax, I would like you to meet my..." I saw him fumble for the right words. "My girlfriend, Nitana." I was shocked. Was I really Stryker's girlfriend? Pushing it to the back of my mind, I reached my hand out. He shook it. "So your the one that everyone has been talking about?" He asked. I nodded. "Well, I'll catch you later, I have to go find Sonya." Jax walked off.

We eventually met up with Raiden, and he introduced me to a bunch of other people, I picked up names like Liu Kang, Kung Lao, and Fujin. But I wasn't really focused on that. Was I really in a relationship with Stryker? Or was he just saying that as an excuse?

The main dinner began and he took me to a table. At the table was Johnny, Li Mei, Raiden, Taven, and the one who was named Fujin. Our plates were distributed, but all I did was push my food around. It looked delicious, but I didn't have the appetite to eat at the moment. Stryker noticed that I was acting strange, and asked if everything was okay. I nodded and continued to play with my food. After the plates were picked up, Raiden asked everyone to go outside.

We formed a circle around him and he started talking about something, but I spaced out. Then I the heard words, "I would like to show you what Nitana can do." I came back to my senses and saw everyone staring at me. I walked towards Raiden, and stood next to him. "Can you do this?" He whispered to me. I nodded. I announced to everyone, "I learned these first two on my own, by exploring what I could actually do." They waited for me to continue. "I'm sure most of you heard that the place I was staying at was broken into, and someone was looking for me. Stryker and I were in danger, and I tried to think of a way to protect us. And I did this," I imagined a small circle, not too big, and made it high enough to cover my height. There were gasping, and a few whispers. I let it die down before I did the next trick. I disappeared and returned behind Taven. Everyone cheered me on. I showed them everything else I learned, and soon I was bombarded with questions.

The night finally ended with most of the people leaving. I made small talk with Liu Kang, about Earthrealm and Shao Kahn. When he left, the only people left besides me were Stryker and Raiden. I headed upstairs to my room and changed into a tank top and a pair of boy shorts. I walked out of my room and across the hall to Stryker's room. He was not in there, but I still crawled in his bed. I was almost to a deep sleep when I heard the door creak open. I slowly opened my eyes and seen Stryker standing in the doorway. "Sure, make yourself at home." I cracked a smile. "I thought it looked clear, I did." He slid off his pants and pulled off his shirt, and laid down next to me. His arms wrapped around me and I felt lips on my neck. Now with him beside me, I could sleep soundly.


	11. Chapter 11

For the next few days, I started practicing powers on my own, like water, air, and ice. I was using air to control a small amount of wind and pushed it around me when I heard Raiden say, "Nitana, I need to talk to you for a moment." I turned to him and asked what he needed me for. "I know lately you've been busy with the elements and powers, but that will not help you in most fights. I brought Liu Kang here to teach you some of his moves. He is the best fighter in the history of Mortal Kombat. You will learn everything he knows, and then you will learn from someone else." He walked away, and Liu stepped towards me. "Shall we get started?" He asked.

We had to have trained for at least six hours, and I was tired and sore. The sun was already starting to set, and I didn't think I could keep my eyes open any longer. Liu came over and patted me on the back. "I know I've worked you too hard. Go and get some rest, and if you're not okay to train tomorrow, we won't." He helped me stand up, and walked me to the temple. He carried me up to my room, and set me on my bed.

When he left, I limped into the bathroom and stripped off my clothes. I filled up the tub, and put some bubble bath crystals in. When it was at the right temperature, I slowly slid in. I let the warm water soothe my pain, and drifted to sleep.

"Nitana, wake up." Sitting up, I opened my eyes to see Stryker standing over me. "Oh, thank god. I thought you were dead. Are you okay?" I nodded. "I'm just a little sore. Raiden had me training with Liu, and it didn't go as good as I thought it would. Can you please get me a towel?" He smirked and said, "Well, since you said please." He walked to a cabinet and pulled one out. He handed it to me as I stood up. I flinched. His hands went for my arms. "You okay?" I nodded. "I just need to lay down." Without another word, he picked me up and carried me to my bed. I thanked him. "I don't know what I would do without you," I told him. He smiled. "Well, you would still be in the bathtub, asleep." I tried to laugh, but it hurt. "I'll let you sleep. I will be back in a little bit to check up on you." I let him leave the room, and I fell into a deep sleep.


	12. Chapter 12

When I woke up the next day, I instantly felt better. I stood and walked to the bathroom, standing in front of the mirror. I lifted up my shirt, and seen bruises all over my torso. "You did learn a lot, but it came with a price." Stryker was standing in the doorway. "I can see that. What are you doing up here?" "Well, Raiden wanted to talk to you, but I also need to talk to you." He stepped closer. "About a few days ago. When we were talking to Jax. You looked like you didn't like me calling you my girlfriend." He waited for me to answer. "Stryker, I don't know if I'm ready for a relationship just yet. I mean, I have to train to kill the most powerful man in a realm, especially one I've never heard of and-" He held his hand up to cut me off. "I don't get it. The way you acted around me, I thought you wanted this." I sighed. "I like you, don't get me wrong, but I don't have the time for a relationship. I'm sorry." He nodded, and walked out. He slammed the door behind him.

I sat down and put my head in my hands, and started to cry. Did I just let go of something that I won't be able to get back? "God, I am so stupid." There was a knock on the door. I wiped my eyes and said, "Come in." When the door opened, Johnny stood there. "You okay?" He asked. I shook my head. "Do I look okay? I have bruises all over my body from training, and Stryker kind of just broke up with me." He sat next to me, and hesitated to put his arm around my shoulders. I let him, and leaned over and set my head on his shoulder. "You know, I seen how protective he was around you. You may not want to believe it, but he does really love you. I wouldn't want to be in a relationship while being here. It's bad enough that there are people out to kill you, and you have to worry about trying not to kill yourself with all the training and the powers you have. I know I couldn't do it." I leaned back, and looked him in the eyes. "Really? The famous Johnny Cage can't do something for once? That's surprising." He laughed. "Well it's true." "The only thing you could do with is talk about it way too much, and try and make a movie out of it." He moved his arm from onmy shoulders and stood up. "I guess I'll be on my way. Have fun dealing with your boy trouble." He started to walk out. "C'mon, can't we talk about it, just us girls," I joked. In his girlish voice, he said, "Oh my god yes. But first, let me go fix my makeup." I couldn't help but burst out laughing.

It got quiet after I calmed down. "You know, if you didn't sleep with me the first night I got here, we would probably have a different relationship." He stayed silent. "Yeah, I realize that now." He dropped his head. I got up and went over to him. I slipped my arms around his neck. He buried his face in the corner of my neck. "I wish I never did what I did. I regret every day I didn't try to fix it. I'm sorry." I didn't say anything, I didn't know what to say . We stayed like this until someone said my name. We pulled apart and looked to the doorway. Liu Kang stood there, looking at the floor. "Yeah?" I asked. "Are you okay to train today?" I nodded. "I have to get used to it sometime." I walked out and downstairs, with Liu and Johnny behind me.

The first person I seen was Stryker talking to Li Mei. He didn't look happy, he almost looked like he was crying. He turned to look at me before lowering his head. I continued outside, and started training with Liu. Johnny watched on the steps. We continued where we left off yesterday. It was getting harder, adding multiple kicks with my punches. I was getting used to the pain, and Liu didn't ease up now. Finally, it was over, and I went inside and took a nap.


	13. Chapter 13

For the next few months, I trained with many people, from Kung Lao to Sub-Zero to Jax. The moves got harder, and training now lasted from dusk till dawn. I also trained with a man named Nightwolf, who taught me how to earth walk. I now could walk underground. He also taught me how to use a spirit arrow. My aim at first was a little off, but I eventually got better. Raiden trained me for a while, then went back to whatever he was doing before.

Finally, I got to train with Johnny. This was the best fun I've had since being here. He ended up with more bruises than I did.

Later that night, I was in Johnny's room, helping him bandage his cuts and bruises. He laid on his stomach, while I sat above him, with a knee on both sides of his waist. "Ow," he yelped when I rolled a cotton swab with peroxide on it. "If you don't hold still, I'm gonna dump the whole bottle on you." He jumped a couple more times than finally stopped. "How much longer is this going to take?" He asked. "Why do you have a date or something?" "No, because nobody here loves me." He started to fake cry. "Aww, I love you." He flipped over, and pushed me next to him. He grunted, and sat up. I sat up and stared into his eyes. They were a beautiful green. "Do you really mean that?" I nodded. "Even though your attitude makes it hard to." He laughed. "Yeah, I've had a few people tell me that." I laid back and closed my eyes. "Are you really falling asleep on my bed?" "Yep. I'm too lazy to get up and walk to my room. My feet hurt." I felt him lay down next to me. I drifted into a deep sleep.

There was a cool breeze on my ear. I opened my eyes to see Johnny standing there, smiling. "Will you stop doing that?" I asked him. He smirked and said, "Nope," and did it again. I jumped out of the bed, and chased him around his room. He dodged me and ran out of the room.

I followed him downstairs but stopped when he did. I looked where he was looking and seen Raiden standing there with a man who had a blindfold over his eyes. "Nitana, can I talk to you for a second?" Raiden asked me. "Sure," I said. I walked passed Johnny, and followed the two men outside. I looked up and seen the clouds were getting dark. "Nitana, I want you to meet Kenshi.""Hello," a voice said inside my head. "Did you just talk in my head?" "Yes,"the voice said again. "That's cool. How did you do that?" Raiden said, "That's what he's here to teach you. You will stay here and try until you learn it. We can't waste anymore time." He turned and left, like he usually does. Kenshi finally spoke up, and not in my head this time. "This will help you in all of you're fights. You will be able to read their minds and learn what attack they will try and use on you. It may look and sound easy, but it is not. What you want to do is try and put your mind in theirs. But you will have to clear your mind. I will think I'd something, and you will try and Tell me what I am thinking." I felt a raindrop on my bare shoulder. "What if it's starts raining? Should we go inside to do this?" I asked. He shook his head. The rain will help you. It helped me when I started using it after I went blind."

"Okay, I'm ready." I cleared my head of my thoughts, which wasn't much, closed my eyes, and tried to get into Kenshi's head. It didn't work. "Try again." I did it again, this time, with success. He was thinking, "Good job. Now, try and talk to me." I breathe in deeply, and In my mind, without breaking my concentration, said, "This is harder than I thought it would be." He laughed. "You will get used to it, and it will get easier.' "Now," he said out loud, "Try and block me out of your head. Like you are creating a shield inside your mind." I did as he said.

Blocking him out, I heard him say well done out loud. With me concentrating, I didn't realize that it was raining. "That is it. It took me five years to make it perfect. For you, it only took a half hour. Good job." He walked off. Before he disappeared, he turned and said, "I want to train with you, if that is okay with you." I nodded. "Of course."

When he was out of sight, I ran into the temple. Johnny was walking upstairs when he seen me. Stryker also seen me, and both of them ran towards me. Stryker stopped when he seen Johnny, and turned away. "Are you okay?" He asked me. "Yeah, just a little wet." He smiled. "I love hearing that." He smirked. I punched him in the arm. "Go get me a towel and keep your thoughts to yourself." He nodded and ran upstairs. I saw Stryker sitting in a corner, and I walked over to talk to him. "Are you mad at me?" I asked when I got close. "Why would I be mad at you?" "Because you stormed out of my room when I told you I didn't want to be your girlfriend and haven't talked to me since." "I got ahead of myself. I don't care if you want to be with me or not. I'm sorry." I smiled. "So you'll talk to me?" When he nodded, I squealed. I went to hug him, but stopped when I remembered that I was wet.

I heard Johnny call my name, and I ran over to him. "What was that all about?" He asked. "None of your business. Man, you are nosy. Can I have my towel?" He nodded. "Sure." He threw it at me, and I caught it. "I'm gonna head to bed. I'm drained." I slowly walked to my room, and fell asleep as soon as my face hit my pillow.


	14. Chapter 14

The next morning, I thought long and hard about what happened between Johnny and I the night before. What did this mean? I told Stryker I wasn't ready for a relationship, and now I'm showing affection to Johnny. He's not the type to be in a relationship. I hate being in the middle of a love triangle. "Stryker was there before Cage. And your right, he may not be faithful to you. But it's up to you." I jumped and realized that the voice was in my head. "Dammit, Kenshi, are you going to just pop up whenever you feel like it?" I asked aloud. "No, but I couldn't resist overhearing you. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you." "It's okay. Just maybe remind me before you do it." "Who are you talking to?" I spun around to see Stryker. "Kenshi. His mind reading scares me." He chuckled, and said, "He does it to you too?" I nodded. "Well anyway, Raiden needs you downstairs. He said it's urgent." I followed him downstairs.

Raiden stood there with everyone I trained with in the past few months. "Nitana, it is time for you to head to Outworld. You will need to find and overthrow Shao Kahn. I cannot go with, my powers will be limited there. But you may take whoever you want to." I thought long and hard. "How about Taven, Liu, Johnny, and," I looked to Stryker and he didn't look like he wanted to go. I walked over to him and whispered, "Do you want to?" He shook his head. "You have good fighters watching you. You don't need me." I nodded, and stepped back. "Li Mei. I need someone to talk to about girly things." She ran over to me and threw her arms around me. We said our goodbyes and went to pack up.

In my room, I grabbed very few clothes and my boots. I also grabbed my perfume and conditioner. "You ready?" Stryker said from the door. I sighed. "Not really. Are you going to be okay without me here?" He wrapped his arms around me. "Yeah, I guess so. It's going to be different, but I will get used to it." I laughed. "I'm gonna miss you," I said. I knew he was smiling. "Same here." He pulled away and said, "It's time to get going." I grabbed my bag, and we walked downstairs. "Is everyone ready?" They all nodded. I walked over to Johnny and stood next to him. Raiden said, "I will now transport you to Outworld." I closed my eyes and everything went black.


	15. Chapter 15

We landed on a dark purple soil. The sky was a purplish blue. Around us, there were large holes, at least 100 yards deep, filled with what looked like lava. This place was already starting to scare me, and I didn't get scared very often. Liu Kang spoke up. "We should start moving. We will find a place to camp out for the night." We started walking north.

We came to a small village, full of different types of people. When they seen us, there were hushed whispers. "May we stay here for the night?" Liu asked one of the people. She looked behind her and nodded. She led us to two small huts, and told us that these were ours. She walked passed Liu and Taven, and when she walked by me, she stopped and asked if I had a moment. I nodded and followed her behind the hut. "Those markings on your face," she said, "I have seen them before. My brother, Reiko, has them. It is a way for Shao Kahn to know who is his property. How you are not evil, I have no idea." Property? I thought. "Thanks for letting me know." I started to walk away, but she reached out and grabbed my arm. "If you do find my brother, please tell him to come home. And also, please release the spell that was cast on this place." I nodded and said, "I will. Trust me." She let go of my arm.

I walked inside the hut. Johnny and Li Mei were sitting on the two beds across from each other, talking. When I walked in, they went silent. "What did she want?" Li Mei asked me. "Telling me what my markings mean." I sat down next to Johnny, and he put an arm around me. "And what do they mean?" He asked. "Apparently, I am a piece of Shao Kahn's property. And she wants me to tell her brother to come back home."

I sat quietly and imagined myself in Stryker's mind. Except now, I can see through his eyes. He looked like he was back on Earth, on a date. A small, petite young blonde woman was sitting across from him. They were talking and laughing. I was only gone for a day, and now he already has found someone else? Oh well, at least he's happy. I was pulled out of his thoughts by Johnny shaking me. "Hey, are you hungry? The woman we talked to earlier is going to feed us." I let him pull me up and drag me to a hut a few feet from ours.

We stepped inside, and I saw a couple people standing around, talking. "I've tried their food, and it's not that bad. Let me tell you, not everyone here is a bad person." I chuckled. He led me to where Taven and Liu were sitting. I sat down next to Taven, and Johnny sat next to me. A woman came around the table with a small bowl of pasta. She gave each of us a small amount. Another woman walked around with small Styrofoam cups. When she handed me one, I looked down at it and could tell it was wine. "I know one thing, if Master Bo' Rai Cho was here, he would love this. The wine, not the food," Liu said. Li Mei, Taven and Istarted to laugh, and Johnnylooked at us like we were crazy. We finally calmed down, and ate.

When we were finished, me and Johnny walked around the village. We walked to a lake and sat down. We sat away from each other, but eventually ended up side by side. "So I seen Stryker's new girlfriend,if that's what she is. She's pretty." He laughed. "How did you see that?" He asked me. "I can see throughhis eyes. I can hear your thoughts. And sometimes, it's not pleasant." "You actually read my thoughts?" He sounded worried. "Not yours, I am just talking in general." He sighed. "But I can if you want me to." He nervously laughed. "No, I don't think you would like that." I scooted closer and threw my legs on his lap. "Why not? Is there something you don't want me to know?" I tapped his head. "Probably." I smiled. "Is it about me?" He started blushing. He has never done that around me. "Sometimes. Or I'm coming up with movie ideas. Either way, I'm thinking of something." I smiled. "You're so cute when you blush." I leaned over to him, and kissed him. It was sweet and innocent at first, but then it got deeper. We were pulled apart by someone clearing their throat. I looked up to see Li Mei standing there. "Am I interrupting something?" She asked. I stood and walked over to her. "No."

I walked around her and to the hut we were sharing. I heard Johnny say, "Why does everyone always have to interrupt?" I blushed. I feel bad for doing this to Stryker. I told him that I didn't want a relationship, and here I am flirting with Johnny. Well, flirting isn't dating. If Johnny wasn't so conniving, we probably would be together. I would like to be with him, but he's so self centered."Men," I thought. "Not all men are like that. Johnny is only doing this because he is famous." I jumped and yelled, "Kenshi, I told you to stay out of my head." "I'm sorry. Your thoughts are too easy to hear. But it's true. But if you want him, then go for it." "Thanks. But seriously, stay out of my head." He laughed, and Johnny walked in. "I need to talk to you," I said to him.The smile on his face disappeared. "About what?" "About our relationship. Listen, I know I told Stryker I didn't want to be in a relationship, but I think that we need to take it a step further. If not, then we can't keep doing what we're doing. It's okay with-" He walked over and kissed me. "Why not? If that's what you want, then we can do that." I grinned. Once again, Li Mei walked in. We both groaned and she turned and walked out. We continued to kiss, and eventually stopped. It was getting dark out, and we had to leave early in the morning. I laid down next to Johnny, and fell asleep.


	16. Chapter 16

Liu Kang came through the door screaming, "Come on, get up. Shao Kahn is close by us. We need to get going." I slowly rolled over and rolled a little too far and fell off the bed. Everyone in the room started laughing. "It ain't funny," I said. Johnny kept laughing and held out a hand. I took it and he pulled me into his arms. "Get ready, we will wait outside." He kissed me on the forehead. They all walked out of the hut.

I changed into a blue tank top and black shorts. I slipped on my boots and grabbed my bag. Outside, everyone was waiting on me. I walked to Johnny and laced my fingers with his. "We should start moving north. Shao Kahn was said to be spotted about a mile from here. Are you ready for this?" Liu asked me. I nodded. We started to Shao Kahn. Kenshi was once again inside my thoughts. "Stryker was asking about you. He really misses you. Last night, I could see his dreams, and it was about you. Did you talk to Johnny?" "Yeah, I did. I hope it works out, but we'll see. And from what I saw, in Stryker's head,he has been seeing someone else." Kenshi silently laughed. "He introduced her to everyone in the temple. She seems like a nice person, but I don't think Stryker likes her. You really mean a lot to him. He even told Raiden that the only reason he's seeing her is to get you out of his head." I suddenly felt bad. I just started a relationship with Johnny, and I didn't want to mess it up. "I don't know what to do, Kenshi. I hate being in a situation like this. Help me." "I don't know what to tell you. I'm blind, so I wouldn't be able to tell what I was getting myself into. But you can. Just see what happens with Johnny. If it doesn't work out, then maybe you can try and work it out with Stryker. Right now, worry about the task on hand. Find Shao Kahn, and kill him." I thanked him and continued walking. Johnny came up beside me and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. "You okay?" He asked. I nodded. "You looked like you were spacing out." I giggled. "I was talking to Kenshi." We stayed quiet the rest of the way.

We made it to a couple of tall stone walls, without doors. "Woah," I gasped. We walked into them and all the way down a path to three red doors. Liu pointed to the middle door, and pushed it open. Inside, at the end of the hallway, there was a big area with a giant chair in the middle of the room. "He should be in here, but I don't see him," Liu Kang said.

Suddenly, we all heard loud footsteps and then Taven got thrown across the room. I screamed and ran over to him. I checked his body and asked him if he was okay. He nodded and stood up. We both ran to the line Johnny, Liu, and Li Mei were in. "Who said that you could walk in my fortress without my permission?" Liu yelled, "Come on out, Shao Kahn! You can't hide forever." There was a booming laugh surrounding us. A man stepped out from around the chair. He had to be at seven feet tall. He was wearing a chest piece with shoulder pads that had silver spikes. He was also wearing a pair of chap shorts. His shoes were open toed with leather straps. "Liu Kang. It's been a while. Are you here looking forward to killing me again?" Liu shook his head. "No. But I do believe that I have something you want." All eyes went to me. Shao Kahn gasped.

"Nitana. I have been expecting you all these years. How long has it been?" He asked me. "Twenty three years," I whispered. "Twenty three years!" He yelled. "Do you know why I created you?" I shook my head. "Of course not. I put you on Earth so I could have someone even more powerful than the two sorcerers I have here. When Outworld lost the last Mortal Kombat tournament, I didn't want to wait for Earthrealm to be mine." He lifted his arms and I put up a shield. It didn't matter, five men walked through it and grabbed each of us. I immediately dropped the shield, and was taken to two metal bars with chains on it. Two men held me while another man cuffed me. The same thing was happening to everyone else that came with me. I scanned the room. I locked eyes with Johnny. For the first time, I saw hurt and defeat in them. I mouthed, "I'm sorry, I love you," and he dropped his head.

"So, Nitana, where were we? Oh, I know. All I need to do is cast a spell on you. Now, I usually don't do this, but I'm going to let your friends go." Shao Kahn lifted a knife up to my face. He pressed it just above my left eye and pressed harder. I bit my lip, trying not to scream. He continued to push it down, until he came to my chin. I felt blood seep out and run down my face. It hurt, but I didn't show my pain. I didn't want Johnny to see me cry. "Go to hell," I gasped in between breaths. "You first, enjoy the ride." He lifted his hand and pressed it against me. I heard Johnny scream. I was too busy paying attention to the fire coursing through my veins. Soon, it became too hard to bear, and I passed out.


End file.
